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Juventus allowed Bologna nothing - Pjanic

Man-of-the-match Miralem Pjanic was delighted to put Juventus on the heels of Serie A leaders Napoli by inspiring their 3-0 win at Bologna.

Inter's defeat to Udinese on Saturday gave Massimiliano Allegri's men the chance to go second and they are now just a point behind Maurizio Sarri's side.

A crunch clash with Roma comes next weekend on the back of a Coppa Italia assignment against Genoa and Juve approach a busy week in buoyant mood thanks largely to a brilliant display by Pjanic.

Bologna goalkeeper Antonio Mirante was unable to keep out a trademark free-kick from the Bosnia-Herzegovina playmaker, whose sumptuous pass created Mario Mandzukic's second before half-time.

"We certainly had the game in hand before the goal but were perhaps missing a little sharpness on the finishing," Pjanic told reporters after midfield colleague Blaise Matuidi rounded off the scoring with his maiden Juventus goal.

"But we allowed Bologna nothing over 90 minutes. That’s not easy, as they are very strong on home turf.

"We put in a good performance and I think the coach can be proud of us this evening. We did what we needed to do, as three points are to be expected of Juventus in every match,

"There are more important games before the break and we have to be ready for the next match against Roma. They are a very strong side and will be challenging for the Scudetto."

Star forward Paulo Dybala was again left on the bench by Allegri and produced a lively cameo after Mandzukic limped off with 15 minutes to play, although some over-eager finishing tarnished the Argentina international's efforts.

"I just hope Dybala relaxes, as he is very happy here. All players have moments when you are not at your best, but that’s nothing to be worried about," Pjanic said.

"He has the talent and just needs to be patient. The club and his team-mates are all behind him."